Holistic Wastewater Treatment Optimization at a Large Pork Processing Facility

The Challenge

A large pork processing plant was facing mounting pressure from rising chemical costs, increasing municipal surcharges, and evolving safety standards around hydrogen sulfide (H2S) management in its wastewater operations. The core issues they wanted to address included:

• Elevated H2S levels and associated hazards
• Rising chemical expenditures that were not yielding sufficient results
• Significant wastewater surcharges
• Overall system performance

In need of support, the plant turned to their water treater in partnership with USP Technologies.

USP Technologies’ Solution

To understand the full scope of the problem, USP Technologies conducted a comprehensive site survey and analysis of the plant’s wastewater pretreatment system – reviewing historical operating data, evaluating existing chemical dosing strategies, performing jar testing with alternative chemistries, and carrying out a sulfur mass balance across the entire system.

Based on the results of these assessments, USP Technologies proposed a full-scale trial of a new chemical treatment program. This program included:

• New coagulants and flocculants at the DAFs
• Optimized dosing schedules for coagulants and polymers
• Continuous H2S monitoring at high-risk locations
• Meticulous data collection
• Third-party analysis of critical parameters (BOD, TKN, TSS, and FOG)

Results at a Glance

The full-scale trial demonstrated a measurable reduction in H2S concentrations throughout the pretreatment system, effectively mitigating the H2S concerns and identified safety hazard. Some of the results included:

• New coagulants and flocculants at the DAFs reduced H2S loadings significantly
• Loadings into the anaerobic lagoons decreased markedly, enhancing biological stability and reducing biogas H2S levels
• Reduced hydrogen peroxide demand downstream to meet compliance targets, reducing hydrogen peroxide costs
• A significant reduction in total surcharges as a result of these program enhancements and adjustments

Overall, the new program resulted in significant annual savings, enhanced systemwide performance, and improved plant safety.

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